Panthers second in Ontario
A young Pelham Panthers basketball team brought home a silver medal from the Basketball Ontario under-19 provincial championships held May 10-12 at the Scarborough Pan-Am Centre.
Made up of eight players in Grade 10 and one in Grade 11, the Panthers went into the tournament ranked eighth among the eight competing squads.
“We really came to play during the championship weekend and played our very best basketball of the season at the right time,” had coach Agi Mete said. “We had to beat some very good teams to get to the gold medal game and we did just that.”
Pelham opened the tournament with a 54-44 victory over the fourth-ranked GCBA Wolverines from Gloucester and followed that up with a 60-56 loss to top-ranked Newman Youth from Stoney Creek. The Panthers then concluded pool pay with a 59-41 triumph over fifth-ranked Guelph.
Ranked second in their pool, Pelham played the undefeated Sudbury Jam in the semifinals and recorded a 43-32 victory. Playing Newman Youth in the finals, the Panthers dropped a 44-38 decision to win a silver medal.
“We certainly had our chances to win in the finals and we just needed a few more minutes on the clock,” Mete said. “Our girls felt they didn’t lose the gold, but won the silver which is a pretty nice way to end the season; a second-place ranking in Ontario.”
Members of the team were Alissa Mete, Meryem Alibegic, Jillian Landry, Liv Ward, Sarah Stayzer, Lauren Audino, Calleigh Cunningham, Abby Phillips and Eden Vince.
The silver medal in the provincials capped an excellent season for the Panthers. They won the Durham City Tournament and placed sixth in the top division of the Ontario Basketball League.
